U.S Express Low Pay. Should I Opt For Per Diem And Tuition Reimbursement

I’m at U.S express and I noticed even when I run hard my checks are low. About 500-600+ a week. I’m a solo driver.

I didn’t opt for Per diem and I think I should have. Thoughts on this?

When I started I stayed local a week making 22 an hour as a garbage driver. So with the increase from 14 an hour to 22. I payed off my loan from community college which was $1500. I payed it off myself.

Should I ask U.S express to reimburse it or do you think they won’t now since I payed it off myself. I have proof I payed it off and receipts from my school.

I’m liking U.S express. Maybe because I have no bills or kids lol. So it’s exciting to now be building class A experience.

I’m at U.S express and I noticed even when I run hard my checks are low. About 500-600+ a week. I’m a solo driver.

I didn’t opt for Per diem and I think I should have. Thoughts on this?

When I started I stayed local a week making 22 an hour as a garbage driver. So with the increase from 14 an hour to 22. I payed off my loan from community college which was $1500. I payed it off myself.

Should I ask U.S express to reimburse it or do you think they won’t now since I payed it off myself. I have proof I payed it off and receipts from my school.

I’m liking U.S express. Maybe because I have no bills or kids lol. So it’s exciting to now be building class A experience.

What do you consider running hard? How many miles are you getting per week? I think most drivers opt for the per diem so do some research and change it if you like what you are reading about it. Definitely less taxes taken out for me. I would ask about tuition reimbursement, all they can do is say no but keep in mind if they pay it they are going to want you under contract for a certain amount of time just as if you went through their training program.

Hi I'm with us Xpress too. I run team with my husband so slightly different from you. We run 5000 to 6000miles consistently and that makes a nice pay check of about $1200 to $1500 per week for each of us. We opted to not do the per diem as it seemed like the company was benefiting more than we would. From what we understand about it if you need all you can get in each check it's the way to go but if you can wait till the end of the year you will actually make more just delayed gratification sort of. We are getting school reimbursement, they said they had to be the first company you worked for after school and they didn't put us on any sort of contract. They pay $150 a month up to $7000. We like us Xpress, the weekend dispatch sucks but that's about our only complaint and it seems most people feel that way about their company. We love our normal FM.

Best of luck to you!

We are getting school reimbursement, they said they had to be the first company you worked for after school and they didn't put us on any sort of contract. They pay $150 a month up to $7000.

Some.companies do it this way and pay as you go, others make you sign and give you a lump sum. So contract or not, you arent getting thr full reimbursement unless you work X amount of time.

Leeva804, I'm somewhat confused by your remarks. Are you a local driver making 22 dollars an hour? I can't tell if that's a reference to a former job or if it's your current job classification.

Then you say this...

I noticed even when I run hard my checks are low. About 500-600+ a week.

That makes it sound like you're running OTR. Help me understand your situation.

Switching to per diem , doesn't increase your pay. Sometimes it actually decreases it depending on how they calculate it. People think if they get an extra 12 dollars or so in their take home pay then they must be making more money. Don't fall for that silliness. Per diem doesn't increase your pay. It only changes your tax withholding. If you don't understand the ramifications of it, I suggest you don't opt for it.

Another thing - having them re-imburse your school tuition is probably out of the question. Typically that's accomplished at your first trucking job. Also it would not increase your pay. It would only be a temporary increase in take home monies, which if consumed by your expenses, accomplishes nothing for your goal of increasing your income.

You titled your inquiry with "U.S. Express Low Pay." Okay, we get it. You're frustrated - you feel you're not earning enough money when compared to the hours you spend at your job. You expressed you like what you're doing, but you think you should be making more money. Neither of the ideas you proposed will make you more money. So, let's figure out how to accomplish your goal.

I have some great ideas, but I need a little help from you. Can you provide me with some information?

How many miles are you running? I'm looking for an average number. You should be able to look up how many miles you've run in the past three months. How about giving us that number?

Also, how much of your 70 hour clock are you using each week? Are you needing a re-set each week? Are you running on re-cap hours? Are you sitting and waiting excessively? Give us some details.

U.S. Express pays competitively. Brett worked there for 6 years - he made some great money. So, we know the name on the truck's doors is not what the problem is. We also don't know how your taxes are being withheld. Do you typically get a large refund each year? You said you were single with no kids. There's probably a large amount of money being withheld from your check, so giving us take home pay numbers doesn't help us know what you're actually earning.

Teaching people how to make good money at trucking is a favorite subject of mine. Give us some more information if you will. I know I can give you some helpful advice.

I'm sorry, you didn't say you were single - just "no kids."